Julia Wallace served as dean of the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences from 1999 to 2007, first as interim dean and then as the college's permanent dean beginning in 2000. As the first woman to lead the college, Wallace brought a collaborative leadership style and a strong commitment to student success, faculty excellence and academic innovation. A psychologist with expertise in gerontology, she joined the University of Northern Iowa faculty in 1978 and held a series of leadership roles, including associate dean and head of the Department of Psychology, before being named dean. During her tenure, UNI expanded its nationally recognized gerontology program, which became the only undergraduate gerontology program in Iowa. Wallace's leadership helped strengthen the college's academic programs while fostering a student-centered culture that prepared graduates to make meaningful contributions in their professions and communities. In 2007, she left UNI to become provost and executive vice president at Central Michigan University, continuing her distinguished career in higher education leadership.